Tag Archives: ukcuts

Cuts in services leave dementia victims in fear

May 2, 2013   Alzheimer’s, Carers, dementia, mental health

Dementia victims face crime wave on doorstep

Published on 02/05/2013 00:01

A LOOMING £1bn cash crisis could leave dementia sufferers at greater threat from rogue traders who are exploiting cutbacks in social services to target some of the most vulnerable members of society.

Trading standards officers in Yorkshire have warned the rising numbers of pensioners who are suffering from mental illness are being placed at increased risk as care professionals are no longer available to ward off the advances of doorstep criminals.

The Alzheimer’s Society claims a £1bn funding gap is looming in social care nationally, as local authorities are forced to strip back resources to cope with the Government’s austerity measures. North Yorkshire County Council alone is faced with making savings of more than £90m across all its departments, and finance directors have warned front-line services including social care will be hit.

Many dementia sufferers will be left with a reduced level of care in their own homes, prompting fears they will be targeted by organised gangs of criminals who are travelling to the region to prey on the elderly.

Read More

Parents and carers write to Queen over Birmingham skills centre closure threat

May 1, 2013   autism, Carers, learning difficulties, ukcuts

Outcry over city council funding threat to Forward 4 Work in Inkerman Street, Nechells

 

Karen Sawtell with her son Andrew Sawtell and Brian Herriott (left), chairman of the group
Karen Sawtell with her son Andrew Sawtell and Brian Herriott (left), chairman of the group

 

Angry parents and carers have written to the Queen in a desperate battle to save a Birmingham skills centre for adults with learning difficulties that faces the council axe.

Staff at Forward 4 Work in Inkerman Street, Nechells , have already been offered voluntary redundancy as the authority continues to slash costs across the city.

The centre, opened by Queen Elizabeth in 1981, provides vital training to help people with conditions including autism and Down syndrome into work.

Read More

Postcode lottery of care for Scots MS sufferers

April 29, 2013   Carers, Multiple Sclerosis, ukcuts

GLARING gaps in the treatment and support available for multiple sclerosis (MS) sufferers in Scotland are revealed in a report out today – described as a sobering wake-up call for the health service.

According to the study, only about one-third of sufferers who could benefit from life-transforming medicines are taking them – one of the worst rates in Europe.

Four NHS boards are failing to meet official standards for giving patients access to the range of specialists they need, according to the research by the MS Society.

The report, titled A Lottery of Treatment and Care – MS Services across Scotland and the UK, reveals one-quarter of patients say they cannot see a neurologist when they need help with their symptoms.

Christine Carlin, director of the charity in Scotland, says in the foreword: “This report should be a sobering wake-up call for all of us working to improve the lives of people with MS in the UK.

Read More